Mark Fellows guilty of murdering Paul Massey and John Kinsella

Yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, Mark Fellows was found guilty of murdering Paul Massey and John Kinsella in separate assassinations carried out nearly three years apart.

Nicknamed ‘the Iceman’, he murdered the former in a hail of bullets in Salford on Sunday, July 26 2015 – firing a submachine at the 55-year-old as he arrived home.

Nearly three years later, the 38-year-old then shot dead a man who had carried Mr Massey’s coffin at his funeral.

Mr Kinsella, 53, was walking his dogs near to junction seven of the M62 when Fellows gunned him down while riding a mountain bike early on Saturday, May 5 2018.

Mark Fellows

Later that month, Fellows - a sous chef who worked nights cooking sauces at the Greencore factory in Woolston - was arrested onboard a plane at Manchester Airport after returning from a trip to Amsterdam.

The defendant, of Sandy Lane West, smiled as he was unanimously found guilty of murdering Mr Kinsella – while the verdict on Mr Massey’s killing was reached by a majority of 10 to two.

Click play on the video above to see the statements read out on behalf of the family of John Kinsella outside Liverpool Crown Court after Orford hitman Mark Fellows was found guilty of his murder.

However, he was cleared of attempting to murder the latter’s then-pregnant partner Wendy Owen – having also allegedly shot at her during the incident, near to the couple’s home in Rainhill.

Verdicts follow a lengthy trial at Liverpool Crown Court, which began at the end of November.

Family members of both Mr Massey and Mr Kinsella let out gasps as the jury’s decisions were read out before embracing after leaving the courtroom.

Left, Paul Massey and, right, John Kinsella

This was the 26th day of the trial, and the jury had been deliberating for a total of 31 hours and three minutes - having begun to consider its verdicts on Wednesday last week.

Thirty-six-year-old Steven Boyle, of Heywood, was also found guilty of murdering Mr Kinsella but cleared of killing Mr Massey and attempting to kill Owen – having allegedly acted as a ‘spotter’ for the killings.

He was seen to drop his head and smile as the verdicts were read out.

Steven Boyle

Fellows and Boyle will be sentenced back at Liverpool Crown Court at 9.30am today, Thursday.

Justice William Davis will consider imposing a whole-life order on Fellows – meaning that he will die in prison if handed this sentence.

A jail sentence in the region of 30 years has been mooted for Boyle.

As he was led down to the cells at the close of yesterday’s court proceedings, Fellows reportedly told Boyle: “It’s your f***ing fault you f***ing grass.”

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This will not be the first time the pair will have been jailed together.

The defendants were each jailed for five-and-a-half years and seven-and-a-half years in January 2001 and December 2003 respectively, having colluded in robberies.

Fellows, who has a total of five previous convictions for 20 offences, was most recently jailed for one year and four months in September 2012 for possession of cocaine with intent to supply and possession of ammunition.

Boyle, who has 10 previous convictions for 26 offences, received seven years behind bars in January 2012 for possession of a handgun and ammunition.

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Paul Massey's family speak out after 'the Iceman' Mark Fellows, from Orford, was found guilty of his murder

Barrister Nick Johnson, representing Fellows, told the court: “These offences were carried out in the context of activities within the criminal underworld, but this defendant is not linked to other activities.

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“Even a lengthy prison term would take him to his final years.

“This defendant has a long-term partner and children of primary school age – these are innocent parties who will be punished in any event.

“The children might never see their father at liberty again.”

Justice Davis added: "There will be a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, but the issue is what minimum sentence the defendants will serve before being eligible for parole."